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Governor Ned Lamont’s office announced on May 16 targeted state investments and collaboration to address educator shortages in Connecticut, and Central Connecticut State University (Central) is a proud collaborator in the effort.
Lamont’s office said several new multi-agency state initiatives will support the creation of a new teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program; provide more investment to create paraeducator fairs; and expand existing high school “grow-your-own” programs, which recruit and train teachers where they live and work.
Central and other educator preparation programs throughout the state and country have experienced a decline of students who are enrolling into educator preparation programs. As of March 2023, Connecticut school districts reported about 1,300 teaching vacancies and another 1,300 paraeducator vacancies. Nearly half of all teaching vacancies are in special education, math, or science, while nearly three-quarters of all paraeducators vacancies are in special education. The reasons for the decline are varied, including the pandemic, increased number of retirees, and salaries among others.
Central has been working to close the gap in numerous ways, according to Central Interim Associate Dean of the School of Education Dr. Paula Talty.
“Central is currently involved in several initiatives to promote both the recruitment and diversity of the teaching field,” she notes. “Some of these initiatives include partnerships with school districts to create pipelines to teaching programs, including the Educators Rising program; the NextGen Educators Program; the Special Education Teacher Residency program in collaboration with Waterbury Public Schools; and increased offering of dual enrollment coursework in education for high school students.”
Central also developed a Special Education Teacher Residency Program in partnership with Waterbury Public Schools created in collaboration with the National Center for Teacher Residency and the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation (PCLB). Waterbury Public Schools employs many paraeducators, most of whom hold either an associate degree or the equivalent of two years of college. The PCLB Foundation awarded Central a $289,000 grant to launch the program, which will support these paraeducators in obtaining their teaching certificate via a three-tiered pipeline program.
The state’s $3 million initiative will be led by the Connecticut Department of Education and Department of Labor. Funds will boost and expand existing programs — such as Educators Rising and NexGen Educators — and new professional pathways for aspiring educators.
Among the initiative’s goals are:
- A new teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program that will provide employment and education resources to aspiring educators and a statewide campaign to attract more paraeducators to the classroom.
- An additional 18 school districts in the Educators Rising high school program, which exposes students to careers in education and feeds into teacher education programs at institutions of higher education, including Central. Currently, 15 school districts offer the program.
- A statewide campaign to attract more paraeducators to the classroom, including the expansion of paraeducator test sites, test preparation programs, job fairs, and recruitment events held in collaboration with the American Job Centers. Central already has partnered with Jumoke Academy in Hartford and will bring its first cohort of paraeducators to campus this summer for their first course, Education in a Multicultural Society.
“Connecticut has the best educators in the nation, and they are the backbone of our education system,” Governor Lamont said. “While we have made some gains recently in teacher hiring, there remains a shortage in many school districts, and it is critically important that we maintain the talent pipeline necessary to address these challenges. The most important education reform is a great teacher in the classroom.”